Good evening, everyone. It's nice to be back with you again, and it's a pleasure. Again, I want to thank CRPC for allowing, giving me the privilege to share God's word with all of you. It's definitely a privilege and mercy to do so. So let's turn our Bibles to 1 Peter, chapter 2, verses 4 through 10. And while you're turning, we're going to be, in First Peter, this is a general epistle of the New Testament. It was written to Christian exiles who were scattered abroad to encourage them in their faith in Christ. And our goal tonight is to explore what it means to be the temple of God, hence the title, the house that God builds. My main point is persevering in joyful covenant faithfulness during our time of exile in this present age is dependent upon remembering and living out the reality that all those in Christ are the temple of God. Christians are the spiritual house that God builds for his dwelling place. God building his house through Christ and his people is the evidence of God bringing the consummation of all things in Christ. And this was the plan from the beginning, to restore the cosmos to a place where God is worshiped and revered. So with that, let's stand, we're gonna read our text. And it reads thus. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men, but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ, for it stands in Scripture, behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. They stumble because they disobey the word as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. A people for his own possession that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Let's pray. Father, thank you for your time. Thank you for blessing us with another day that we can worship you. Thank you for Jesus Christ. Thank you for the gospel. Thank you for your church, and thank you for your word. And Father, we pray that you will bless our time tonight, open up our eyes, and we may behold wonderful things out of your law, and help us, Lord, to worship you in our heart, mind, and soul tonight as we hear your voice through scripture. Father, I pray that you'll help me to comfort the disturbed and to disturb the comfortable. And Father, I pray that you'll be glorified and exalted tonight in our service. Amen. You may be seated. Martin Luther writes about a time when he was sorely vexed by his own sinfulness and by the wickedness of this world and by the dangers that beset the church. And one morning he saw his wife, Katie, dressed in black in mourning. And surprised, he asked her, he's like, who died? And she said, do you not know? God in heaven is dead. Luther said, how can you talk such nonsense, Katie? How can God die? Why, he is immortal and will live throughout all eternity. Katie asked him, is that really true? Luther replied, of course. And she said, and yet? though you do not doubt that you are so hopeless and discouraged. And Luther realized the contradiction of what he believed and how he was acting. And like Luther, we can become discouraged by the things that's happening to us or the things that's happening around us. And we need to be reminded that God is not dead. He's not asleep on his throne. And Peter is writing to Christians who are scattered in various places. In 1 Peter 1, it says, to those who are the exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. So the letter is not to a local church. It's a cyclical letter to be read abroad. And Peter's goal was to encourage these Christians because they were undergoing persecution. Now there's no mention of emperors chasing down Christians and slaughtering them worldwide. There's no mention of some of the atrocities that happened under emperors such as Nero or Domitian. But Peter often refers to the Christians suffering for doing good or trying to hold fast to their faith. According to the language of the letter, Christians are suffering local persecution from those around them. So they were being maligned, they were being insulted, they were being attacked. The recipients of the letter referred to as the elect, exiles of the dispersion. And Peter's letter covers a large area. The size of the area, if you can imagine, is almost the size of California. And these Christians were colonists chosen by Rome to colonize these certain areas. And some were willing to go while others were sent there unwillingly. And many of the first colonists to be chosen when Rome wanted to colonize areas were people who they deemed to be troublemakers. And a troublemaker in Rome was somebody who questioned Roman morality or who tried to convert other Romans or would not adhere to emperor worship. Other citizens that would go to the colonization would go in hope of gaining Roman citizenship. There were also Roman veterans, and they would set up military camps. And those who wanted to have some sort of power in that particular colony, they would also volunteer to go as well. So these Christians were exiled to a foreign land, and the people in the land that was already there saw them as foreigners, not to mention the people that came with them were disgusted probably at their practices of their godly living in Christ. So the term diaspora often referred to Israelites who lived outside of Palestine. Our beloved pastor mentioned that this morning. And although Peter used this term, the recipients of this letter were Gentiles, and we see this in 1 Peter 1, verses 18 through 19. He says, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ. First Peter 4.3, for the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, drunk passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. So these were Gentiles because Jews would stay away from those types of things. And Peter writes to them to encourage them that God dwells within them and to show them the implications of that. So our first part of the pericope that we just read, 1 Peter 2. Verses four through five, as you come to him, a living stone rejected by men, but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house to be holy, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. And our first point is Christians are the living stones of God's house. The unique presence of God with his people has been the key to perseverance for all the churches in all ages. Christians are living stones who have come to Jesus Christ, who is the living stone. Because of the Christian's union with Christ, they cease from being a dead, lifeless stone to a living stone. And this is what we call the regeneration of the believer. They have moved from death to life by God through Christ. And we see this in First Peter chapter one verse three. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to his great mercy he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Peter says that Christ is the living stone. Christ is the source of life and his people, is the source of life and his people lives because he forever lives. There's no life apart from Jesus Christ. Not only that, Peter encourages the Christian exiles that the life giver was also rejected by men. And Peter saw this rejection firsthand, didn't he? He was right there when Judas came to arrest Christ with the chief priest and the elders and soldiers. It was Peter who followed along and saw how Caiaphas and the high priest treated Christ. He saw how they slapped him, how they spit upon him. And not only the chief religious rulers reject Christ, but the people of Israel on numerous occasions, and Peter was there for that, had also rejected Christ constantly, as well as the Romans who rejected him. And their rejection consummated in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ outside of the city. Peter is comforting the Christian exiles by informing them that Christians are rejected by the world because Christ was rejected. Our union with Christ not only bring God's approval, it brings rejection in and from this fallen world. As with Christ's rejection from the world, rejection from men and suffering is the sign and stamp of God's choice and affection towards his people as precious. How do you know you're precious in God's sight? How often are you hated by the world? That's one evident sign. Jesus Christ was chosen of God and precious in God's sight, but hated by those of this world. Christians will follow their master to glory, not by the praise of men, but by their hatred. Thomas Watson said this, he says, resolve to hold on to your violence for heaven, though your carnal friends dissuade you. It is better to go to heaven with their hatred than to hell with their love. As those who have been rejected by this world, the Christian exiles would need to support one another and love one another. Therefore, Peter says in 1 Peter 4, above all, Keep loving one another earnestly, since loving covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. There were elders also who went in this colonization, and Peter tells the elders, shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you. not for shameful gain, but eagerly, not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And you know, today, so many churches are concerned about how they treat the world. We gotta cater to the world. We gotta make sure we love the world. We gotta make sure we serve the world. And there's some truth to that, right? That we ought to love our enemies, However, the best witness to the world is not how we treat them, but how we treat each other. We are to serve and love God's people over and above and beyond what the world does for one another, and way above and beyond what we do for the world. And Peter remembered our Lord's teaching. Peter was there to hear this. Christ said in John 13, 35, by this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. Peter uses the term living stones for the Christian exiles and the living stone for Christ as an introduction to the heart of the matter that they, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house. The spiritual house is the temple of God. They are the temple of the living God. He dwells in them. He dwells in us. And this is quite significant, and would have set aflame the hearts of the Christian exiles for God. The reason for their exile and persecution is that they are a dwelling place of God. The first temple of God was the Garden of Eden, where God dwelt in a unique, covenantal, intimate way with Adam, and it was created as the Spirit hovered over the waters, and God's Spirit filled the earth. And the garden was fashioned after the heavenly throne room of God. In Isaiah 66, 1, it reads, thus says the Lord, heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? And in the garden, Adam was to keep the garden. He was the priest of the earthly temple. Adam was to extend the temple of God throughout the whole earth as he was to be fruitful and multiply and to subdue the earth for God's glory. Adam was also a prophet. He spoke to creation on behalf of God as he named the animals. He even named Eve as she came from his rib. However, Adam failed. to extend God's presence throughout the earth as he submitted to Satan and to the creature rather than the creator. The next house of God was the tabernacle that was built by the Israelites after their deliverance from Egypt. And this was also built according to the heavenly throne room of God. Moses was taken there at Mount Sinai, and there Moses received the plans from God for the tabernacle. In Exodus 26.30, then you shall erect the tabernacle according to the plan for it that you were shown on the mountain. Then you move on in history, then Solomon builds the temple in Jerusalem. And in 1 Kings 8 it reads, and when the priest came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord so that the priest could not stand to minister because of the cloud. For the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. However, Israel was influenced by other nations, driven by their own lust, and followed after other gods. And in 587 BC, the temple was destroyed. Herod built the second temple in Jerusalem. However, this temple did not carry the glory that the previous ones had. And Peter was there when Jesus came and forcefully cleansed the temple of the money changers. When the Pharisees asked, by what authority are you doing this? Jesus answered, destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. Peter was there at the Olivet Discourse as the disciples pointed out to Jesus the glory of the temple. And Peter heard Jesus' response. He says, you see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. And it was the Herodian temple that was still standing when Peter wrote his letter to the Christian exiles. And Peter understood that Christ was the true temple. And all who have union with Christ is the dwelling place of God. Wasn't it Peter who was there in the upper room when the Holy Spirit came and filled God's people? So Christ fulfilled where Adam and Israel failed to extend the temple of God, the presence of God over the whole world. Peter comforts the Christian exiles by helping them realize that their exile is in fact God extending his presence among the nations in the midst of opposition. Why do things happen to us the way they do? Why are we moved here? Why do we go there? God is extending his rule through us, through his people. What is God doing? He's being fruitful. He's multiplying and subduing the cosmos. He's extending his reign throughout all the earth. Furthermore, it was a comfort to them that they were not ever without God. that he dwells with them on a greater scale than the temples built with hands. Isn't that staggering? The Holy Spirit filled the Saramonic temple, but the Holy Spirit dwells with us on a greater scale than that. This reality was and is the evidence that the last days are here, and he is bringing all things to a glorious end. And Peter says this in 1 Peter 4, 7, the end of all things is at hand, therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. And finally, being a spiritual house means that salvation is not a solo event or individual sport, but a corporate interconnected union with other believers. The Christian exiles were not alone, and they had family support all around them, and so it is with us. As the spiritual house of God, his judgment starts there first, not to condemn, but to bring forth their faith as pure gold for their assurance and his praise and glory, and that is the purpose for the persecution that we endure. First Peter 1.6-7 says, in this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in the praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Now, second point is Christ is the cornerstone of God's house. First Peter two, six through eight. Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious and whoever believes in him. will not be put to shame. So the honor is for you who believe. But for those who do not believe, the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. And they stumble because they disobey the word as they were destined to do. So Peter tells these Christian exiles that the reason they are a spiritual house is because of the chosen and precious cornerstone who is Christ. Also, the reason for their persecution is because of Christ. For the Christian exile receives honor because we believe in him. Every part of our deliverance is because of the person and work of Jesus Christ. We receive salvation by faith alone, and even that faith is given to us. We are saved through grace alone, but we are saved also by works, by Christ's works. And Peter pulls from a text in Isaiah when God is talking to Israel after God told them that judgment is coming. through the Assyrians because they would not listen to God through the prophet Isaiah. Plus at the time their prophets were full of debauchery, drunkenness, and the rulers of Judah were making a pact with Egypt and God tells them they have just made a pact with death. So God is saying, through this text that Peter uses in Isaiah, that there is one sure foundation in the time of trouble, one sure stone that you can count on when surrounded by the enemies of God, which is none other than Christ himself. And listen to the passage in Isaiah that Peter used. It's Isaiah 28, verse 16 through 17. I am the one who has laid as a foundation of Zion a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation. Whoever believes will not be in haste, and I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plumb line, and hell will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter. So Peter directs the Christian exiles not to let the pressure tempt them to make a pact or covenant with the world to escape persecution. It is tempting for every Christian to compromise because the pressure sometimes can get too much, or so it seems. Peter says your spiritual house and your cornerstone is Christ. Trust him through your times of difficulty. Do not compromise. The Reformation Study Bible said this, the great stone laid for the foundation at the place there where two walls come together is crucial for the stability of the entire building. The church is established on the prophets and apostles who are held together by the chief cornerstone, Christ. And it may look like those who reject Christ have the upper hand. However, their rejection is their own undoing. Christ is the cornerstone and honor for those who believe in him. He is a savior, our savior. But we must not forget that he is also a judge. Peter remembers the words of our Lord at the Olivet Discourse. Christ says this in Matthew 24, verses 29 to 31. Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. And the stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens will fall. And the powers of the heavens will be shaken then will appear in heaven the sign of the son of man and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, and he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other. And D.A. Carson said this, we too readily overlook how fundamentally divisive Jesus Christ is, even though even though that point is repeatedly made, not only in the New Testament, but also in the Old Testament prophecies concerning Christ. Peter here insists that everyone is affected by the coming of Christ, positively or negatively. depending on whether they too are living stones, or alternatively, simply reject him or stumble over him. They will find that he crushes them. Christians feeling discouraged. then and now sometimes can be traced to a distorted view of Jesus Christ. If the only Christ you know is the Palestinian, beaten, broken, bloodied Christ, you have a wrong view of Christ. He is the glorified Christ. He is the eternal Christ. He is the judge who's gonna come back and judge the living and the dead. and he's bringing all things to completion. We are in the last days. He's king of the entire cosmos. Peter reminds the Christian exiles that Christ is coming to judge all who reject him. The enemies of Christ will stumble and be crushed by him if they continue to persist in their unbelief. He also encourages them by telling them that they stumble because they disobey the word as they were destined to do. And that word destined means place in the Greek, meaning that God placed them there to disobey the word. John Calvin says this, by predestination we mean the eternal decree of God by which he determined within himself whatever he wished to happen with regard to every man. All are not created on equal terms, but some are preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation. And accordingly, as each has been created for one or other of these ends, we say that he has been predestinated to life or to death. So Peter comforts these Christian exiles by letting them know that evil and its devices are not a surprise to God. nor will it thwart his plan, and God has all things under his control. And he will bestow his mercy where he wills and his justice where he wills. First Peter 3.14 says, but even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. He says, have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy. And last point, Christians are consecrated to worship in God's house, 2 Peter 2, 9-10. It reads, but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. So here's the so what of this message. Here's the application for all of us, and it's rooted in the implication of the text. The Christian exile, for the Christian exile, if you were discouraged, you might want to go back to your earthly home, wouldn't you? You might want to go back, especially if you had persecution or hardship, you might want to integrate with the culture, or just try to get along down here. Or you might be feeling that you're going to go back to your ethnic roots. Isn't that a staple in Christianity today? I'm going back to my roots. And connect with those who have the same ethnic background as you. But that is not what God wants for his people. That is not the mandate for God's temple. God placed you where you are, you need to stand for him. Stand firm. Peter pulls from Genesis, Deuteronomy, and the prophet Hosea the law and the prophets to encourage the exiles by telling them who they are and where their roots truly are. And Deuteronomy 7, 6, 8 says, for you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you. For you were the fewest of all peoples But it's because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Peter wants the Christian exile to see that they have been chosen by God, handpicked by the sovereign of the universe. Even though the Jews and Gentiles have rejected you, God has chosen you. He chose you according to his covenant, faithful love. 1 Peter 1 verses one through two, to those who are the exiles of dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia, listen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father in the sanctification of the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood and there is your temple language. May grace and peace be multiplied to you. Jonathan Edwards says, no foreseen excellency in the elected is the motive that influences God to choose them. Election is only from his good pleasure. It is not the seeing of any amiable-ness in them above others that causes God to choose them rather than the rest. God does not choose men because they are excellent, He makes them excellent because he chooses them. So not only did God choose these Christian exiles, he delivered them from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. And this is Exodus language, but on a greater scale. Peter is telling the Christian exile, you have been delivered from the powers of darkness. There are no more, you have no other roots other than Christ and in his people. You've been delivered from that. Peter informs them that not only you are a spiritual house, you are also the priest. You're not just a priest, you are a royal priest. A priest has direct access to God. And what a glorious gift and encouragement. Not only that you are not a priest according to the, you are not, we are not a priest according to the Levitical priesthood, but after that of the male Mechizedekian priesthood. Man, try saying that three times. That means it will never end and you are God's kings as well as priests. Why is that? Because Christ is a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. And this priesthood is over the Levitical. Jonathan Edwards says, so as Christ is both king and priest, so shall believers be made kings and priests. First Peter 1.8, as priests, we are to offer spiritual sacrifices of joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. And the Christian exiles, prior to them being in Christ, were not a recognized people of God's favor, love, and protection. The wrath of God abided on them. Peter tells them, now you are God's people, his treasure possession. And Peter pulls this from Hosea, in Hosea 2, verse 23, and I will have mercy on no mercy, and I will say to not my people, you are my people. And he shall say, you are my God. Peter encourages them that their time as Gentiles are over. They are now God's people and we've been delivered to God's kingdom and we have left our sinful culture behind. It no longer belongs to us as his people. Beloved, we too are exiles moving toward the promised land of God where righteousness dwells. We are God's people. There are not two peoples of God. There's one, the promises were made to Israel, the Israel of God. and praise the Lord he has grafted us in. May we be encouraged to remember that we are God's spiritual house now and forever. Let's pray. Father, thank you for this time. Father, thank you for the work you've done. for your people, in your people, bringing us from the kingdom of darkness to your marvelous light. Thank you for dwelling in us, and may we honor the guest of the Holy Spirit, reverencing him, cultivating a relationship with him, reading his word, and exalting Jesus Christ in mind and heart, and loving our fellow believers, because Christ dwells in them. Father, I pray for everyone here that we will be reminded and encouraged and that we will find our anchor in you and in you alone. Amen.